EKYFC receives The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

East Kilbride and District Young Farmers Club receives The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service

East Kilbride and District Young Farmers Club, a group of volunteers based in East Kilbride and surrounding areas have been honoured with The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the highest award a voluntary group can receive in the UK.

The group have been recognised for their ongoing contributions to the local community as well as their commitment to educating and developing young people to realise their full potential. Over the past few years they have helped with maintenance at East Kilbride Sport’s Club; built paths alongside Friend’s of Langlands Moss; cleaned for Kilbryde Hopsice; litter-picked in Auldhouse; and maintained the grounds of the David Livingstone Memorial Centre. When they are not busy volunteering, they’ve also been known to host events and take on sponsored charities to raise funds for good causes including the East Kilbride Dementia Carer’s Group, Multiple Sclerosis Society, Kilbryde Hospice, Maggies, Samaritans, Guide Dogs for the Blind and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance. As well as their work in the community, the club provides opportunities for its own members to develop, including hosting an NHS accredited Mental Health First Aid course.

EK Young Farmers is one of 241 charities, social enterprises and voluntary groups to receivethe prestigious award this year. The number of nominations remains high year on year, showing that the voluntary sector is thriving and full of innovative ideas to make life better for those around them.

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities. It was created in 2002 to celebrate The Queen’s Golden Jubilee. Recipients are announced each year on 2nd June, the anniversary of The Queen’s Coronation.

Representatives of the Young Farmers will receive the award crystal and certificate from Lady Susan Haughey CBE, Lord-Lieutenant of Lanarkshire

later this summer. Furthermore two volunteers will attend a garden party at Holyroodhouse in July 2022.

Former club Chairman, Joe Cameron says:

“As a club, we’ve always taken pride in our involvement with the local community – we aim to be a group that anyone can approach to ask for help with their projects so everyone can share the benefits. We use our voluntary work as a way of helping our own members to develop their own skills as well, so it works both ways. I’m absolutely delighted to see EKYFC honoured with this award as I think it recognises the effort the club and its members have put in over a period of decades to make a lasting contribution to the East Kilbride community”.